Ikea Founder Dismisses Rift

By

Anna Molin

Jan. 29, 2013 10:59 a.m. ET

STOCKHOM—IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad Tuesday moved to dispel talk of a conflict within the IKEA board, saying he supports the company's overall direction but thinks the number of planned store openings should be lower than the target set by management.

The comments follow Swedish media reports in the past week that hinted at growing disagreement between Mr. Kamprad, members of the board—including his sons—and IKEA's executive team. Mr. Kamprad, who founded the furniture icon as a 17-year-old in 1943, has in recent years...